Finding 8
agreed objectives and outcomes . Nonetheless , we observed a willingness on the part of many companies to become actively involved .
In projects aimed at specific target groups , companies also collaborate with multiple actors . Many DAX companies have longstanding partnerships with large NGOs and multilateral organisations such as Save the Children , SOS Children ’ s Villages , the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , Habitat for Humanity , UNICEF and the WHO . Unlike their smaller counterparts , these organisations have the resources and experience to work with corporate giants , despite the cultural differences and varying expectations which can often provoke disagreements . Positive examples are partnerships that integrate the core competencies of NGOs and private sector companies plus employees in equal measure . Long-term programmes enable companies to build up expertise and structures that can cascade knowledge back to the company and relieve the burden on participating NGOs . One particular good practice case is Deutsche Post DHL ’ s GoHelp programme , which has been supporting the disaster preparedness and relief activities of the UN agencies UNDP and OCHA since 2005 . Alongside other activities , the programme maintains a network of 400 trained volunteers who can be deployed to relevant airports within 72 hours of a disaster being declared . They then support the transport of relief supplies from there . 25
At the local level , the DAX companies support numerous organisations , but these partnerships are often rather one-sided and not geared towards clear impact goals that have been jointly agreed . Here , too , there are positive exceptions , such as the Experimento programme of the Siemens Stiftung . One focus of this foundation is on innovative approaches to the teaching of the STEM subjects ( science , technology , engineering and mathematics ) in primary and secondary schools . Working in collaboration with teachers , schools , researchers , communities and regional authorities , the Siemens Stiftung developed the evidence-based Experimento curriculum for experiential learning , which is now being rolled out in classrooms in Germany , Latin America and Africa . The benefits of this partnership are evident , for example , in the city of Medellín , Colombia . Along with the city administration , schools , civic bodies and local companies , the Siemens Stiftung and its local subsidiary , the Siemens Fundación , are members of the Territorio
STEM + H consortium , the stated goal of which is to advance citizens ’ welfare and social development in a city that has long been ravaged by drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare . Territorio STEM + H seeks to introduce innovative concepts across the full span of the local education system . 26
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